Summer Match: Mini Monkfish Tacos with Romesco | Far Niente

98 pt & Wine Enthusiast Top 100 | 2019 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville

Summer Match: Mini Monkfish Tacos with Romesco

07.09.12

Untitled 8 monk 300x225

These are a beautifully bright and tasty show-stopper. Serve with Far Niente Chardonnay, which offers those hints of honeysuckle and Meyer lemon with bright acidity that never lets the fun stop.

You can get monkfish from your local fishmonger. We purchased ours from Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley. The fish, though, is caught in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It’s mild and sweet, with a texture that’s firm and chewy in all the right ways.

Click here for a printable PDF.

Ingredients

Herb Marinade:

1/2 cup parsley
1 bunch chives, cut in thirds
1 bunch chervil
1 bunch tarragon, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil

1 pound monkfish, skinned and deboned (ask the butcher to do it for you), cut into medium dice

Romesco:

2 roma tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
1/2 fennel bulb
2 shallots
3 garlic cloves
1-2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup almonds, slivered and toasted
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons Sriracha

12 corn tortillas, cut into ½” rounds using round cookie cutters
1 pint vegetable oil (reserving 2 tablespoons to cook the fish)
Fryer thermometer

Micro cilantro, for garnish

Method

To create the herb marinade, place parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon into a blender. Add the mustard and olive oil. Turn on low, then move to high speed until herbs are completely puréed and the marinade is bright green, about two minutes.

Place diced monkfish in a dish, add the herb marinade to coat well, about half a cup. Cover fish and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.

To make the romesco, which is a classic sauce from Spain, preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place tomatoes, peppers, fennel, shallots and garlic on a baking pan. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil on the vegetables, then add salt and pepper. Bake for 15-25 minutes, watching the garlic so it doesn’t become too brown. The tomatoes will start to break down, and peppers will soften with the outer skin peeling away. Pull out of the oven and let cool. Peel whatever skin will come off of the bell peppers, cut open and extract the seeds and stem. Place all the vegetables in a food processor, add the almonds, then pulse and continue to puree, adding olive oil, Champagne vinegar and Sriracha. The consistency should be like mayonnaise.

While the romesco vegetables are in the oven, start to heat oil hot to fry the mini tortillas. Using a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed sauce pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350˚F. Have a slotted spoon and a plate with a few paper towels ready to receive the fried tortillas. Drop 6 tortilla rounds in at a time and fry until crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Continue this process.

Finally, remove the fish from refrigerator and season with salt and pepper. Place a medium sized sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and allow the oil to get hot. You will see wavy lines in the oil when it is ready. Add fish. Sear on one side for a minute, then flip over and cook 2-3 minutes.

Assemble crisp tortillas on a cutting board and top with a half teaspoon of romesco. Add a piece of the seared monkfish and garnish with micro cilantro. Arrange on a serving platter.

Serves 10 people

Click here for a printable PDF.

Related Posts

Pairing Food & Wine Dolce Napa Valley on ice Retouch

12.22.21

Holiday Happy Hour: Dolce Cocktail Recipes to Illuminate the Season

Whether you're watching the ball drop IRL, throwing it back with a Roaring 20s-themed soiree, keeping it cozy with a quiet dinner party for friends or breaking out the board games and staying in, these four festive late harvest Dolce recipes will up the enchantment of your New Year's Eve toasts, however you decide to celebrate. Inspired by cocktails we've served at Napa Valley winery events throughout the years, these aren't your average wine cocktails! Try your hand at one, or go all out and create a full Dolce Cocktail Bar. If there's ever a time to go extra festive on the sips, it's New Year's.

LEARN MORE
Pairing Food & Wine FN Chard Anniversary

01.14.22

Chicken Soup and Chardonnay May Be A New Favorite Winter Wine Pairing

Are you ready for the chicken soup and Chardonnay pairing our winemaker can’t get enough of?

Far Niente Winemaker Nicole Marchesi recently had our mouths watering with her recommendation for homemade chicken soup and Chardonnay, specifically Far Niente’s Napa Valley Chardonnay.

Ready to whip up a batch of the chicken soup and wine pairing that had her sighing with comfort? Read on for her garden-fresh chicken and soba noodle minestrone recipe. It's a knockout with Napa Valley Chardonnay.

LEARN MORE
Pairing Food & Wine Bella Union Cabernet and Tenderloin

03.01.22

Napa Valley-Inspired Roasted Tenderloin and Cabernet

This Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Sweet Potatoes is a dreamy recipe to cook with your favorite culinary partner in crime. Inspired by the golden blooms of mustard sprouting up between our vineyard rows, we encased the tenderloin with toasted mustard seed to give it a Napa Valley twist. Slice it thin; top with our classic red wine shallot sauce.

LEARN MORE

divider
If you are at least 21 years of age and willing to accept cookies, please click enter.
ENTER
Book a Tour Call Us